1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to baseball bats and rackets, and more specifically to an apparatus that combines the overall shape and features of a baseball bat with a racket-type head strong with elastic tubing.
2. Related Art
This invention has its roots in baseball. The beginnings of this game originate in Nineteenth Century America as a variation of the many games that made use of some type of bat and ball. It has a long history associated with it, developing from an amateur sport into one that is professional, where spectators pay to watch highly skilled athletes play what is now know as xe2x80x9cAmerica""s Pastime.xe2x80x9d
The game of baseball has traditionally been a sport that requires strength and accuracy of the batter to hit thrown balls far away from any opponent. The underlying strategy and primary tactic of this game is to score more points than the opposing team, often by hitting home runs (a phenomenon by which the hitter strikes the thrown ball with a held bat and projects it outside the bounds of the playing field). The problem in achieving home runs with a baseball bat, however, is that the skill level needed to accurately hit and place the ball and the strength required to project the ball a far distance must both be high.
Conventional baseball bats have a narrow head and thin handle, and when the hitter is attempting to hit the ball, little room for error exists when trying to connect bat to ball. The hitter""s hand-eye coordination must be high to accurately hit the ball because the narrow size of the head means that possibility of connecting bat to ball is less. Repeated failures when trying to hit the ball with such a bat often leaves the player frustrated. Thus, without the requisite skill needed to accurately hit and place the ball, the batter often connects inadequately or misses completely, and without the opportunity to practice, the player often xe2x80x9cgives up,xe2x80x9d frequently not returning to practice which is necessary to achieve the desired skill.
Such frustration is felt the most with special needs players. There are many different types of players that have special needs, ranging from the very young to the very old and to the physically and mentally handicapped. An important application of special needs players are the various team competitions during the Special Olympics wherein handicapped players compete in baseball, softball and other related sporting events. These players often have difficulty in handling a conventional baseball or softball bat, and in many instances the players are unable to hit a ball with any success or without assistance.
Therefore, there is a need for a baseball-type apparatus that facilitates the playing of bat and ball sports wherein special needs players can play unassisted and achieve immediate success with hitting and placing a ball.
Additionally, because of the thin handle on a traditional baseball bat, the batter""s upper body strength and hand strength must both be great in order to swing the bat effectively to hit the ball a far distance. Without the requisite strength needed to forcefully hit the ball, the player often grounds the ball or hits pop-flies. Both of these types of hits makes it easier for an opponent to intercept the ball and throw the hitter out. Traditionally, a deep fly or home-run is what the hitter seeks to achieve, and historically it was the invention of wooden bats that assisted the hitter in obtaining this goal. The theory behind this being that a heavy bat combined with a strong swing would propel the ball far and high into the air. Unfortunately, though, this discouraged many classes of people outside the stereotyped strong, athletic male from playing the sport because the need for such strength in handling the wooden bat was so great.
From this sport of baseball, derivative ball games, such as softball, stick-ball, tee-ball and wiffle-ball, have emerged in America""s culture. Each of these variations developed to fulfill particular needs and desires of the American public, each with their own requirements and constraints. With the advent of these related sports and subsequent experimentation in the design of the baseball bat, two derivative inventions were discoveredxe2x80x94the aluminum bat and the plastic bat. Though lighter in weight, which alleviated some of the strength required to effectively swing a bat in traditional baseball, this light weight creates an additional problem for the hitter. May batters lose control of such a bat upon the finish of a powerful swing, and this loss of control often causes injury to both sideline players and other bystanders on the field.
Besides these problems, baseball and its derivative ball games have a limited appeal. Each serves a purpose unto themselves, and generally each variation only fulfills their intended purpose. Baseball is both a professional and amateur game, traditionally associated with strong, youthful men. As a predominately male sport, baseball, specifically, has less appeal, because of the perceived physicality needed to be good at the game. While softball developed to make the game of baseball more appealing to those less strong, those a bit older or younger in years, and those of generally less skill, it still requires a certain amount of skill and strength to play effectively. Stickball, whose bat is basically a thin xe2x80x9cbroom-handlexe2x80x9d type stick, has limited appeal because of the traditional geography on which it is playedxe2x80x94the streets of the inner cities. Significantly younger people have been afforded the opportunity to compete in still similar ball games through the developments of tee-ball and wiffle-ball, though these batting games are generally reserved only for that class of person.
Therefore, there is a need for a baseball-type bat that is similar in overall appearance and dimensions of a conventional baseball bat, but is easier for a user to swing and achieve greater distance and accuracy.
Moving away from the sport of baseball and related batting games is the racket game of tennis. Tennis is another sport wherein a racket is used to hit and thereby project a ball away from the player. Unlike baseball, however, the game of tennis requires the ball to be hit and accurately placed within a confined set of boundaries. Therefore, the tennis racket is designed to accurately hit a ball short distances. The oval shaped racket is generally made of wood, aluminum or graphite, while the head-face is usually strung with resilient gut or nylon in an interwoven pattern, and the handle is long and thick because most players prefer one-handed over two-handed swings.
Therefore, there is a need for a racket-type apparatus having a racket head-face that gives a user better control in placing a baseball and provides the means for the user to hit a baseball long distances.
The fielding practice bat of the present invention solves the problems associated with conventional baseball bats and tennis rackets by combining the best features of both apparatuses. In the preferred embodiment, the fielding practice bat comprises a frame having the same general shape, weight and balance of a conventional baseball bat wherein one end of the frame is a handle portion and the other end is a head portion that forms a head surface for hitting a ball. The head portion is similar in design to conventional tennis rackets in that it is interwoven with strands to form a head face. However, in contrast to conventional rackets, the fielding practice bat of the present invention has a head portion that has a very slender tear-drop shape, which preferably is about twice the width of a conventional baseball bat, and is woven with elastic tubing. The use of elastic tubing, as opposed to elastic straps or string, is novel and is not currently available in any known racket design.
There are several advantages with the design and shape of the fielding practice bat of the present invention. First, because the fielding practice apparatus has the same weight and balance of a conventional baseball bat, players of the game will be comfortable and at ease with using the fielding practice bat. Second, the fielding practice bat is designed to work with both baseballs and softballs; therefore, no new balls are needed. Third, the design of the fielding practice bat offers those not particularly skilled in ball sports the advantage of consistency hitting the ball with accuracy.
Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the head of the fielding practice bat is strung in an interwoven pattern with elastic tubing. The woven face of the bat diminishes the wind resistance of a conventual bat when swung, and as a result, decreases the chance for sports-related injuries. Also, the woven face of the bat will not only increase the percentage of accurately placed deliveries of the ball, but it also increases the range at which balls can be driven.
Another advantage of the fielding practice bat of the present invention is to make coaching easier. Many coaches are not skilled at hitting a ball with a conventional bat during the course of fielding practice because coaches must repeatedly and consistently hit balls to players in the outfield and infield for practice. This means that a coach must hit many balls time and time again, thereby becoming fatigued which in turn degrades the coach""s performance. Once the coach""s performance degrades, it has a direct impact on the quality of practice received by the fielder.
The fielding practice bat of the present invention allows balls to be accurately placed with the desired force after only a few attempts and with minimal effort. This will aid coaches in working with players on their fielding techniques. For example, most Special Olympics and Little League coaches are volunteers and could use the fielding practice bat to repeatedly hit the ball into the field for fielding practice without become overly tired and without the usual skilled required.
Additionally, the fielding practice bat is designed for those with little skill who simply want to join in a baseball or softball game for fun and recreation. During the summer months, family or class reunions are a popular time for softball games. The fielding practicing bat will allow individuals who are reluctant to participate in baseball and related games due to a lack of skill to participate and achieve accurate and long hits. Furthermore, the fielding practice bat may be used by disabled or elderly individuals to participate in the related sports. It will also decrease the risk of shoulder or arm injury for the player because the woven face of the bat decreases wind resistance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide means for players not particularly skilled in the sport the ability to achieve a better natural form without special training.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bat comparable to a regulation bat which provides greater accuracy in placing balls and increases the distance at which the ball can be driven.
The main objections of the fielding practice bat are to increase accuracy and alleviate the need for strength when hitting and placing a ball in traditional batting games, promoting a sense of achievement and power for which all ball players thrive. With a larger head, which increases the dimensions available to connect it with the ball, the necessary skill required to accurately hit and place the ball reduces. With elastic tubing strung within the head surface (this is used as a substitute for a solid or hollow bat head), it reduces the strength needed to hit balls a great distance. A thicker handle increases stability when swinging and durability of the invention itself, while at the same time, it also reduces the strength of grip required to effectively swing the bat.
Additional objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention.